Observations on economics, the academy, the wider world, and things that run on rails.

1.9.03

A WEEKEND FOR THE RECORD BOOKS. The Shops have been quiet the last couple of days while the Superintendent overdosed on college football.

Thursday evening, there was a sellout crowd at Huskie Stadium to see the Huskies defeat Maryland (as called for here.) Strangest end to a football game I ever saw. Northern had a field goal blocked on the last play of regulation. Maryland won the toss for overtime and took the wind. Northern scored on its first series. On Maryland's first series, a receiver booted a pass in the end zone. The pass did not hit the ground, and a Northern defender picked it out of the air for an interception. Game over. Everybody in the stands was wondering "what happened?" but most of the spectators were enjoying the moment.

Saturday's feature was Wisconsin at West Virginia. Another sellout, this time some 60 thousand people (the state's population is about 1.5 million, there are that many residents in the Fox Valley of Illinois alone) most of them enthusiastic wearers of their yellow and blue. Wisconsin won the war of attrition in the fourth quarter. The Cold Spring Shops is not a sports service, but the Superintendent notes that receiving the ball to open the second half while trailing by three points, going three-and-out with the kickoff, and surrendering a touchdown to the second-string quarterback is not a good strategy if your intention is to beat Iowa, Ohio State, or Penn State.